Tangled

Unshift 216

Unshift 216

216 Ava: Going to Sister Miriam Again (II)

216 Ava: Going to Sister Miriam Again (II)

"What do you mean, consume her?" Jericho demands, his eyes

narrowed.

Sister Miriam sighs, flicking ash from the end of her cigarette. "Magic is a living thing, wolf. It has a will of its own. And right now, Ava's magic is wild, untamed. If she doesn't le to control it, it

will control her."

When they still stand there, waiting for more, she rolls her eyes, making even that seem almost elegant, even if the rest of her face is too blank to make it seem natural. "Your girl will go boom, wolf. And everything around her will pay the price."

"What's the difference between now and before?"

Sister Miriam's brows draw together slowly, just a little out of sync. Sometimes, she acts so naturally. Other times, it's like she can't

control her entire face. This is one of those times, and the wrongness of it causes shudders of repulsion. "Before?"

It's a struggle to find the correct wording. "When I first got my powers. I went into heat. It was painful."

"Ah." Her brow smooths out almost instantly, and it's fascinating. Like there was something beneath her skin, and it just dashed out, leaving it flat and expressionless. "Yes. It was more of a half-awakening." She holds out her hand, tight as a fist.

"Once, you were empty. Then, small cracks appeared, allowing the power to flow within." She opens her fist a little, spreading her fingers, as though holding onto an invisible ball. "This is the state

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most of you as children. You have power coursing through you. Some of you will tap into this power in times of immense stress." Memories of running through the forest, almost as fast as Lucas in his wolf form, flash through my mind. Sister Miriam nods, seeing whatever expression on my face

have experienced this. But you cannot feel it, no matter how hard

nd now, you have made a connection with the power inside you. It's a contract, of sorts. Can

hearing her say

To tap into it. To use it. But, Ava," and she snaps her fist closed, before bringing it back to her side. "You have no control over that power. Even now, you can only access a flicker of your potential. And that is

of this?" Jericho demands, grabbing my arm and yanking me behind him. Kellan closes the ranks so I can barely see over their shoulders. "You're doing a lot of talking but no real explanations.

sneers at the

"Your land. That is what you are taught, isn't it? That your wolf territory is sacred. That any who come within are trespassers

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Going to

the highest level of human government. Until such a time as a

mocks. "Your petty

onto his elbow, squeezing hard in a reminder for him

want answers from Sister Miriam;

men. They don't let me at first,

calm toward me, with

it because

were working with someone named Steve. She disappeared. Everything about her disappeared. The building

Fae? Child, what were you thinking? You don't know enough about this world

mentor."

she's a Fae?" Kellan interjects with a frown.

a Fae's bread and butter,